‘TV’s Top 5’: Peter Morgan on Rebooting ‘The Crown’ and Its Future

Welcome to another episode of TV’s Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter‘s TV podcast.

Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the week in TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners and executive guests and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as the case may be).

This week’s five topics are:

1. The Mandalorian’s breakout character. Spoiler alert! Baby Yoda has captivated the internet. In this segment, Heat Vision editor Aaron Couch joins the show to explain why Star Wars fans are losing their mind over the new character and how the little green frog-eater could impact upcoming feature films. The segment begins at the 4:16 mark.

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2. The Morning Show and “Apple haters.” After two seasoned exec producers blamed poor reviews for Apple TV+’s Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston vehicle on critics who “wanted Apple to fail,” Fienberg offers a thoughtful and insightful response to the allegations. The discussion begins at the 13:53 mark.

3. Mailbag! In the recurring segment, Goldberg and Fienberg respond to reader questions, this time focusing on the missing LGBTQ-themed content at new streaming services, how international sales impact renewals and if it’s worth watching a show that’s already been canceled. The Q&A starts at the 21:58 mark. (Send your Mailbag questions to TVsTop5@THR.com.)

4. Showrunner Spotlight: Peter Morgan. The Crown creator and showrunner sits down with Goldberg and Fienberg for an extensive interview about season three of the Netflix royal drama. The interview, which also includes questions about the season three finale, gets into the pressures Morgan felt about recasting the critical favorite for seasons three and four, his hopes for the fifth and sixth cycles, dream casting and the extensive research he and his team do before he begins the writing process. The interview begins at the 32:16 mark.

5. Critic’s Corner. As always, every episode ends with Fienberg offering his thoughts about what to watch (or skip). This week, he touches on Apple’s Servant, DC Universe’s Harley Quinn and offers his pick on what to watch over the Thanksgiving break. Tune in starting at the 55:20 mark.

Note: TV’s Top 5 will be off for Thanksgiving. Our next episode will be Dec. 6. Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for listening! 

Hear it all now on TV’s Top 5. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to never miss an episode. (Reviews welcome!) You can also email Goldberg and Fienberg with any topics or questions you’d like to be addressed in future episodes at TVsTop5@THR.com.